1,507 COVID-19 Cases Confirmed Nationwide by 9 PM

On the 21st, as the spread of COVID-19 continues, citizens are waiting for testing at the temporary screening clinic in the public parking lot of Sinchon Train Station, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] The spread of COVID-19 is intensifying nationwide.

From midnight to 9 p.m. on the 22nd, 1,507 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported nationwide. This is 51 more than the 1,456 cases recorded at the same time the previous day.

The previous day's interim statistics did not include 270 confirmed cases among the Cheonghae Unit members who returned early due to a cluster infection. Including these cases, the total number (1,726) shows a decrease of 219 cases.

Looking at the regions where confirmed cases were reported on this day, 1,002 cases (66.5%) were in the Seoul metropolitan area, and 505 cases (33.5%) were in non-metropolitan areas.

The number of confirmed cases by city and province are as follows: Seoul 518, Gyeonggi 391, Busan 111, Incheon 93, Gyeongnam 74, Gangwon 61, Daegu 58, Daejeon 42, Chungbuk 31, Jeju 29, Chungnam 26, Ulsan 21, Gyeongbuk 16, Jeonnam 15, Jeonbuk 10, Gwangju 9, and Sejong 2. Confirmed cases were reported in all 17 cities and provinces nationwide.

If new confirmed cases continue to increase at a similar level until midnight, the daily total is expected to approach 1,600 to 1,700 cases. The previous day ended with a final count of 1,842 cases, including the Cheonghae Unit cases.

Meanwhile, since the number of confirmed cases first surpassed four digits on the 7th, more than 1,200 cases have been reported daily up to this day. Cluster infections are mainly occurring in saunas, fitness facilities, and gatherings of acquaintances.